


love is a ruthless game (unless you play it good and right)

by supersapphics



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Swan Lake Fusion, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:46:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25614541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supersapphics/pseuds/supersapphics
Summary: Prince Ben has been hearing stories of Princess Aurélie's kidnapping and disapperance ever since he was young, and a desire to find her and bring her back to safety has always dwelled at the back of his mind.One day, Ben just happens to run into a young, mysterious woman named Rey in the forest...
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, background Finn/Poe/Rose - Relationship
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is a re-upload from my previous account of the same name.

For weeks, Aurélie Kenobi’s disappearance is all young Prince Benjamin hears discussed throughout the palace.

“Who’s Aurélie Kenobi?” he asks his uncle Luke one day.

Luke, who is also currently serving as his tutor, doesn’t look up from the exam he’s grading. “She was the adopted daughter of King Benjamin of Jakku. As a young child, she worked amongst his kitchen staff, and when her parents died, he took her under his wing and eventually adopted her.”

“Why?” Ben is asking partially out of curiosity, and partially because he’s trying to distract his uncle from paying too much close attention to the exam papers.

Luke glances up at his nephew and raises his eyebrow, giving Ben the feeling he isn’t being subtle enough. Luke allows him to squirm for a second longer before answering. “Aurélie’s parents were often tasked with bringing King Benjamin his meals in his bedchamber. Often they brought their young daughter with them, and King Benjamin, being childless, took a liking to her. I suppose when she became orphaned, he took pity on her, and that, combined with his longing for his own child, led to him adopting her.”

Ben is silent for several moments as he absorbs this information. “King Benjamin has the same name as me,” he says finally.

“Yes. He was friends with your parents when they were younger. They named you after him.” Luke has finished grading the exam. He hands the papers to Ben, but the young prince doesn’t look at them quite yet.

“I’ve never met this king though. Or his daughter.”

“Ruling a kingdom takes quite a bit of effort, as you’ll learn one day. It doesn’t leave much time for nurturing friendships. But your parents were still quite saddened to hear of Aurélie’s disappearance. So was I. We can only hope she’s found soon.”

Ben looks down at his exam papers then. He’s surprised by how much his uncle’s story is bothering him. He doesn’t even know this girl, has never met her or her father in his life, but the situation is still a sad one.

Then he sees that he’s passed his exam. He looks up at his uncle, grinning, and for a moment he forgets all about Aurélie.

When he climbs into bed that night, however, his thoughts shift to her again. The entire palace is still buzzing about her disappearance – supposedly, she’d been playing in the gardens, and then vanished in the blink of an eye. As he drifts off to sleep, he thinks about where she might be, how she might be feeling – is she alright? Is she even still alive? The last thought that passes through his mind before he loses consciousness is a brief prayer to a deity he doesn’t truly believe in, asking for Aurélie’s well being, wherever she may be.

**_Ten years later…_ **

“Don’t you think we should be getting back, Ben?” Rose asks. “It’s nearly nightfall.”

“Emphasis on _nearly,_ ” says Poe. “It’ll be fine, Rosie. Gods know Ben deserves a break.”

Did he ever. His parents had been particularly aggravating as of late, constantly badgering him to settle down and marry. _For the good of the kingdom,_ they would say. But what good would it do the kingdom, Ben argued, if he wasn’t happy?

Today he’d had enough, and had left the palace behind as soon as his lessons were over. Rose and Poe had tagged along, as they always did, following him into the forest as he sought refuge and privacy from the suffocating air of the palace grounds.

Ben remains silent as his friends bicker beside him, choosing to stare dreamily up at the darkening sky instead. The three of them are laying in the soft grass, an empty picnic basket lying on its side a few feet away. He’s so comfortable it’s starting to make him feel drowsy.

Then his body betrays him, in the most irritating manner possible – by making it known to him that he needs to relieve himself. He attempts to ignore it, but the more he does, the worse it becomes. Sighing, he heaves himself to his feet. “Be right back,” he murmurs to Rose and Poe, who barely cease their bickering long enough to acknowledge him.

Ben walks quickly through a patch of trees until he reaches the edge of a clearing. He comes to a stop at the edge of the trees and relieves himself, glancing back at the clearing when he’s done. Through the trees, he’s able to glimpse a small pond, the sight of which seems to instantly create a parched feeling in his throat. He, Poe, and Rose had obviously flown a ship to the forest, but they’d left the ship a ways back and travelled to the meadow where they’d enjoyed their picnic on foot, and he hasn’t had anything to drink since then, so the sight of the pond is quite a welcome one.

He scrubs his hands clean in the water first, then scoops some up to splash refreshingly on his overheated face. It’s as he’s cupping his hands to gather water for a drink that he hears the sound of footsteps crunching across leaves. He looks up, realizing that nightfall has fallen and the moon is shining brightly above him. He’d better hurry up here and get back to his friends – his parents, most especially his mother, will worry dreadfully if he doesn’t arrive on time for supper, even though he _is_ twenty-three years old and perfectly capable of taking care of himself, thank you very much.

The sound of crunching leaves repeats itself, followed a moment later by the appearance of a young woman on the other side of the pond. She appears to be about five or so years younger than Ben, with long, dark brown hair that flows down her shoulders. She’s wearing a white dress that, although pretty, looks like it’s seen better days. Underneath the hem of her dress, Ben notices that she’s barefoot, and he frowns. What on earth is a pretty young woman doing walking barefoot around the forest? Especially this deep in – on foot, it would take her several hours to reach the edges of the Alderaan kingdom.

He rises to his feet. “Hello. What is your name? Are you lost?”

The woman looks startled, but Ben isn’t sure if it’s his line of questioning or his presence itself that has unnerved her. Rose said he could be intimidating sometimes, but again, he wasn’t sure if that was because of his height and stature or something else about him.

“I’m not lost. I’m just enjoying a walk,” the woman answers finally. She doesn’t move from her spot and continues to eye him warily.

“Do you live here in the forest?” Ben asks incredulously.

“I…” The woman shifts her weight, clearly nervous.

“My apologies, madam, I did not mean to frighten you. I will leave you, if you so desire.”

Somehow, this seems to soothe her. She stops fidgeting and offers him a tentative smile. “No, that’s not – not necessary. My name is Rey.”

“Ben.” He took a tiny step toward her. “Are you doing alright out here by yourself?”

“I’m not by myself, I live with some friends.”

“That’s good to know.” Another small advance. Rey was watching him closely, but her posture had grown more relaxed, indicating she’s not frightened by him anymore – or at least, not quite as much as she’d been before.

“Are you here hunting?”

“No, I was just sharing a picnic with my friends in the meadow back there.” He points in the direction he’s come from. “I’m afraid we’ve eaten all our food already, but our ship isn’t far away, and we could give you a lift back home.”

At that, Rey looks panicked again, and takes a few rapid steps away from him. “No, I – that’s not – I need to go.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean –”

But it’s no use; she’s vanished into the trees on her side of the pond. Sighing, Ben turns away and begins making his way back toward the meadow. He’s worried about the young woman – about Rey – she’d seemed so skittish, like she wasn’t used to company, despite her claim that she lived with friends. The fact that she apparently lived in the middle of the forest, so far away from any kingdom, and wandered around said woods barefoot and in the dark, no less…what did that say about her? Nothing good, Ben feared. He wished there was some way he could check up on her, make sure she was really alright, but he had no idea how to do so if he didn’t know where she lived. And, he mused, hearing his inner Rose clearly in his mind – that would probably only serve to make Rey even more frightened of him, if he attempted to track her down like that.

“Ben! There are you are! We were starting to get worried,” says Rose when he reappears in the meadow a couple of minutes later.

“ _She_ was growing worried,” Poe corrects. “I personally was the very picture of relaxation.”

Rose doesn’t even bother to roll her eyes at him, simply grabs the picnic basket and tucks it under her arm. Then she seems to notice the look on Ben’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“I met someone while I was gone.” Ben answers as the three of them begin the short trek back to their ship.

“Really? How could you have possibly met someone this deep into the forest?” Poe demands.

“I don’t understand it either. Part of me thinks she can’t have possibly been real.” Ben shakes his head. “I’m rather worried about her, to be honest. She seemed troubled.”

“Did she give you a name?” Rose asks. Their ship appears ahead, parked just where they’d left it hours previously.

“Just Rey. No surname or any other type of identification. She wouldn’t even tell me if she’s a citizen of Alderaan. Just that she lives here in the forest.”

Rose’s eyebrows shoot way up. “In the _forest?_ I didn’t think anyone came out here outside us three, and Poe and I only do so because you drag us along.”

“The poor tortured prince needs his freedom sometimes, Rosie, try to have some sympathy,” Poe jokes, which Ben ignores.

Once they’re back in the ship and Poe is in the pilot seat, Rose turns to face Ben. “If you’re really that worried about this Rey, I could try to look up some information about her when we get back home. Maybe there are records on citizens who live in the forest.”

“That’d be great, thank you.” Ben flashes Rose an appreciative smile before lapsing back into contemplative silence, his thoughts never straying once from the mysterious and beautiful Rey.

Over the next couple of days, Rose scours through the royal Alderaan database, but is unable to find any references of known citizens living in the forest. Ben grows so desperate that he even asks his parents, but not only are they as unaware as the royal database, but they also scold him for venturing that deep into the forest.

“I was with Poe and Rose the entire time,” Ben protests, choosing not to mention the five minutes he was alone in the clearing. “I’m just worried about this woman. She seemed so skittish the entire time I was talking to her.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Leia says pensively. “If she lives in the forest, she’s probably not used to human company. You would do well to leave her alone, Ben.”

But Ben’s stomach clenches with anxiety at the very idea. He knows what his mother is saying is logical, but there’s some instinct telling him that Rey’s unusual behavior is not quite that simple to explain away.

Which is why, less than two days after his first meeting with her, Ben, followed faithfully by Poe and Rose as always, journeys back into the forest to find Rey.

The clearing is empty when they arrive. Ben suggests that he check the patch of trees on one side of the pond, and Poe and Rose take the opposite bank. Rose squashes that idea with a single no-nonsense look, sending Poe off by himself while she remains at Ben’s side.

But after an hour of searching, they’ve had no luck finding any signs of a human establishment, and Ben finds himself struggling to remain optimistic. How far away could Rey possibly live? How far could she possibly have travelled to the pond, barefoot, in the dark?

They meet Poe back in the clearing, who unfortunately, reports a similar lack of discovery. It’s Poe who suggests they hunt for something to eat.

“We brought food with us,” Ben points out.

“Just a few snacks. You said that the last time, this Rey didn’t appear at the pond until nighttime. If we’re going to stay here this long, we’ll need more than snacks.”

“Not all of us need to stuff our faces constantly,” Rose snipes, and once again, she and Poe dissolve into good natured bickering. Ben turns away from his friends with a smile, wondering, not for the first time, how the two of them ever became a romantic pair. If he hadn’t accidentally walked in on them kissing that one time (and that was one experience he _never_ wishes to repeat, thank you very much), he never would have guessed it.

It’s then that a few birds fly overhead. Poe pulls out an old fashioned bow and arrow and Ben raises an eyebrow at him. “Wherever did you get that?”

“Han gave it to me when I told him we’d probably be out here until nightfall.”

“If you anticipated we’d be in the forest until nightfall, then why didn’t you just pack enough food for the three of us instead of only a few snacks?” Ben asks, exasperated.

“Because he _wanted_ to hunt,” Rose explains, obvious amusement in her voice. “And this trip was the perfect opportunity. The snacks were just a failsafe in case his hunting was unsuccessful.”

“She knows me so well,” Poe says, beaming.

Ben throws his hands up in reluctant submission. “Fine. Go ahead, Dameron.”

Poe whoops and takes off running, bow and arrow at the ready. Rose and Ben follow behind him, both shaking their heads at Poe’s antics.

“He reads one reference about hunting in my records about living in the forest and decides he _has_ to try it out,” says Rose, fondness mixed into her voice now. “Despite me telling him that it hasn’t been practiced in centuries.”

“Well…maybe by everyone except Rey and her friends,” Ben replies, remembering suddenly that Rey had asked him if he was a hunter the day they’d met. “I don’t know how else they’d survive out here if it weren’t for hunting.”

“Good point.”

“Swans!” they suddenly hear Poe exclaiming from a few feet ahead. “Let’s follow them, maybe they can lead us to a good source of food.”

“And one of us should memorize some notable landmarks, so we don’t get lost,” Ben mutters to Rose, who smirks in agreement.

They continue following Poe, who somehow, manages to keep track of the swans. As they do, they both begin to notice signs of approaching nightfall. At the same time, one of the swans breaks formation with the others.

Something about that strikes Ben as odd, despite his admitted lack of knowledge with rudimentary hunting. He calls ahead for Poe to follow the lone swan, rather than the group.

The swan leads them further away from its former fellows, taking the three of them even deeper into the depths of the forest. After awhile, Ben begins to hear the sounds of running water and then –

The swan begins to descend and Poe, as if he’s suddenly become some sort of expert, gestures frantically for Ben and Rose to duck down and hide. Ben complies but with much grumbling about how this is all a waste of time and they’d come out here to find _Rey,_ not stalk swans –

The swan flies low above their heads and then vanishes through a patch of trees. Quietly, the three of them follow suit, tiptoeing through the trees until they discover the source of the running water – it’s a lake, with a large, seemingly manmade waterfall.

The swan heads for the lake. As it does, the clouds in the sky above shift aside and reveal the moon, which becomes reflected in the surface of the lake.

The swan’s movements are mesmerizing to Ben in a way he cannot explain, even to himself. Perhaps it’s the way the swan seems to be heading determinedly for the moon’s reflection in the water, as if that should bear any significance for the bird. And why had this particular bird chosen to come here, rather than remain with the rest of its group?

The swan lands on the surface of the water, directly above the moon’s reflection. For a moment the bird remains almost unnaturally still – unless that’s Ben’s imagination playing tricks on him – and then, suddenly, the water around the swan begins to glow. The swan appears agitated, flapping its wings and kicking rapidly. Ben watches, transfixed, as water rises up from the lake and engulfs the swan – he instinctively runs forward, before he is aware of his mind coming up with the command to move, convinced he needs to help the bird somehow.

Before he can reach the lake, however, the water settles down. The swan is nowhere to be found – but in its place, stands Rey, wearing the same dress he’d last seen in her in, which is miraculously dry.

Rey appears stunned by his appearance. “Ben? How did you – how did you find me? How did you know about this place?”

“You’re – but you’re not – the swan?”

A resigned look passes across Rey’s face. She ducks her head, staring down at her feet, which are still submerged in the water. “I was the swan,” she confirms when she raises her head again. “It’s a curse I’ve had to bear ever since I was kidnapped from my home.”

“Kidnapped? Where is your former home?”

“The kingdom of Jakku. My name is Aurélie Kenobi.”


	2. Chapter 2

“You’re…you’re the missing princess?” Ben can scarcely believe what he’s hearing. He hopes Rose and Poe will have the good sense to stay hidden; he doesn’t want anything scaring Rey off.

“I am. A dark sorcerer named Palpatine stole me from my home when I was only eight years old. He was furious with my father for banishing him from Jakku, and stealing me from my home was the most suitable punishment he could think of.”

“And the curse? Your father doesn’t know of this, does he?”

“No,” says Rey with a sigh. She walks out of the water then – the hem of her dress still inexplicably dry – and toward him. “That was to stop me from escaping, which I tried many times in the first year after my capture. After the fourth or fifth unsuccessful attempt, he created the curse. By day, I’m a swan. It’s only when the moon rises and its reflection appears on the surface of the lake, that I transform back into my human self. The curse will last until my dying day.”

“There has to be some way we can end it,” Ben says, his voice tinged with desperation.

Rey looks surprised at his use of _we._ “You want to help me? I can’t ask that of you, Ben. We hardly know one another, and it’s a great danger for you to be here. Palpatine will return soon, and if he discovers you here, he’ll kill you on the spot.”

“It’s a risk I’ll have to take. I’ve been wanting to save you since the day I met you – no, longer than that. Ever since the day I heard of your disappearance ten years ago.”

“I’m not looking to be saved,” Rey snaps, suddenly sounding angry. “There’s a reason I ran away from you the other day, just like there’s a reason I gave you my nickname, not my true name. Anyone who involves themselves with me will be killed by Palpatine. Now, if you have any sense at all, you’ll _leave._ ” And she gives him a little shove, as if that’s that.

“You don’t understand, Rey. I’m Prince Benjamin Organo Solo of the Alderaan kingdom. My parents were friends with your father when we were younger. I have the power and the resources to help you. You can trust me.”

That clearly isn’t what Rey had been expecting to hear. “You’re a prince? Oh, but gods, that makes it even worse. Palpatine would be beside himself with joy if he could ruin two royal families. You need to get out of here, _now._ ” She pushes him again, as if she really expects that to make a difference. Were the situation not quite so desire, Ben would have laughed. Instead, he gives her an unimpressed look.

“You can’t get rid of me quite that easily –”

“Ben, I swear, your royal lineage matters to me very little, I _will_ inflict physical injury on you if you don’t leave immediately –”

“I have two friends here with me, they’re hiding just a few feet away in the bushes, and they can help me, we can bring you back to my palace and then try to break the curse from there –”

“ _No!”_ Rey growls, and it’s only because Ben can detect the hint of tears in her voice that he abruptly falls silent. “You’re making the fatal mistake of underestimating Palpatine. If he returns to find me gone, he won’t hesitate to rip both Jakku and Alderaan apart trying to find me. I won’t allow myself to be the cause for thousands of needless deaths, I _won’t_.”

“Okay,” Ben says quietly, after several strained moments of silence. “Okay, I understand. But – I simply cannot leave you here alone, not knowing what I do. How about this: if you can get away in two nights’ time, meet me again at the pond in the clearing. We can discuss strategy in privacy, without having to worry about Palpatine discovering us.”

“Ben,” Rey answers, her voice heavy with defeat. “That’s useless – forgive me, but it is. There is no way of breaking this curse. Not unless –” But before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly goes rigid all over. “Palpatine’s here,” she whispers. “You have to go, right now, _please_ –”

Ben doesn’t bother asking how can she possibly know that, considering he’s heard nothing to indicate it. “All right, I will, but only if you meet me in the clearing in two days’ time.”

“I will,” Rey responds immediately, although if she truly means it, or is simply saying whatever she thinks will get him to leave the most quickly, he can’t know for certain. “Now _go_ , I beg of you –”

He hates to leave her like this, alone and so visibly terrified, but now he too can hear the sound of someone’s booming voice in the distance, so he takes one last look at the lost princess, their gazes locking for a moment before Ben, against all better judgement, turns his back on Rey and runs back safety amongst Poe and Rose.

He knows his friends were close enough to have overheard anything. As soon as he reaches them, the three of them take off running, but before they’re fully out of earshot, Ben swears he hears a male voice asking, “You weren’t speaking with anyone, were you, my darling? I thought I heard voices” and Rey answering, her voice timid, “No, milord, that was just me. I was practicing my singing” before the voices fade into the distance. 

Over the next two days, Ben does everything in his power to prepare. He (with help from Rose and Poe) scours the royal database for any mention of Palpatine or dark sorcery he can find. He searches for any reference to curses, to swans, to moonlight and lakes. He even approaches Luke and asks for advice on hostage situations, which understandably startles his uncle quite a bit; Ben has always possessed a talent for military strategy (any successful sovereign should), but truth be told, he’s never felt any interest in it.

“Whyever would you need to know that?” Luke asks. “That’s not a part of our lessons.”

Ben hesitates. “I can’t tell you that right now. The less you know, the better.”

“That doesn’t sound ominous at all,” Luke mutters.

“I promise you’ll know soon. I just have to take care of this on my own for now.”

“Alright, I can grant you that. But be careful, please. Your mother would kill me if I didn’t do everything I could to keep you safe.”

“I’m not planning anything too dangerous, I promise. Just trying to rescue someone.”

“Take Rose and Poe with you,” is all Luke says in response.

Finally, Ben feels like he’s prepared as much as he possibly could. He doesn’t know what will be in store for him and Rey over the next few hours, but he’s determined to give the situation his all, in any and all ways possible.

He’s on his way to pick up Rose and Poe from their room when he’s accosted by his parents.

“Ben! Great news. Your father and I have just finalized our plans for your engagement ball.”

“I’m sorry, Mother, I have – engagement ball?”

Leia huffs at him. “I’ve been telling you about this for weeks, Ben. We’ve sent invitations to every eligible person in all surrounding kingdoms. It’s tomorrow night and your attendance is required. That’s non-negotiable.”

Ben spends a moment deliberating how to respond (because he is positively certain she has _not_ been telling him about this for weeks), before he realizes the best way to end this conversation quickly is to just agree with whatever Leia says. “All right, fine. I’ll be there.”

“Great answer,” Han tells him, winking.

“I have to go now, but I’ll see you at the ball,” Ben tells his parents before leaving them behind to continue his jog toward Poe and Rose’s room.

“Do you know why he’s been acting so strangely?” he hears Leia ask Han as he turns his back on them.

“It’s probably about a girl. That’s what it always is,” Han replies, and then Ben is out of earshot.

“Why didn’t you tell Luke about Rey?” Rose asks as Poe guides their ship out of the palace courtyard and into the air. “Maybe he could’ve come with us and offered some support. He’s taught you everything you know about military strategy.”

“I know, but Rey seemed so frightened when I suggested any sort of rescue attempt. I asked Luke for some advice but that was only in case I needed a last resort. I didn’t want to bring him with us and risk creating a panic. The only way I could convince Rey to agree meeting with me tonight, is if I promised we would merely discuss strategy and nothing more.”

“I hope she can manage to meet you,” says Rose, sounding worried. “That Palpatine character sounded like a godawful nightmare.”

“Agreed,” Poe mutters from the pilot’s seat. “And I’ll be on standby to give him the thrashing he deserves, if need be.”

“Your willingness to maim and injure is much appreciated,” says Ben dryly, exchanging a fond eye roll with Rose.

A few minutes later, Poe lands the ship on the edge of the clearing. Ben is the first to jump out and run eagerly toward the pond, Rose and Poe following close behind. To Ben’s pleasure, Rey is already there waiting for him – and she’s not alone. Standing next to her is an unfamiliar man, dressed slightly better than she is, but not by much.

“This is Finn,” Rey says, responding to Ben’s startled look. “He’s my best friend. He lives in Palpatine’s house.”

“Is he a cursed swan too?” Ben asks skeptically.

“No, just an unlucky human who was kidnapped by Palpatine as a young boy and forced to work for him ever since. Rey and I have been friends ever since we were children.” Finn is regarding Ben suspiciously as well – apparently neither of them trust each other all that well. But caring about Rey is something they must have in common, which Ben reminds himself of before he takes a deep breath and speaks again.

“Can we talk? Privately?”

Rey turns to Finn and whispers something to him. Finn flashes Ben what he interprets as a look of warning but leaves without a word, joining Poe and Rose on the edge of the clearing. Ben can hear his friends greeting Finn enthusiastically and Finn’s surprised stuttering in response. He smirks for a moment before returning his gaze to Rey.

“I’ve been researching nonstop for two days,” he tells her. “I know everything about hostage situations. If there’s any chance I can rescue you from Palpatine’s place, I’ll be able to do it.”

“Ben…” Rey glances over at Finn as if checking whether he can overhear. “The only reason I came to see you tonight is because I wanted to dissuade you from this entire plan. The truth is that there’s only one way to break this curse, and it won’t work, I can already tell you that.”

“You can’t simply say so without telling me what it is,” Ben argues, reaching for her hand, but she pulls away.

“I don’t need to tell you, I already know it’s not possible.”

“Rey –” Ben is irritated now, but a part of him is also loving the snarky back and forth building between them. He pushes and Rey shoves back – it’s like beautiful clockwork.

“It’s impossible,” Rey starts to protest again, but falls silent at the look on Ben’s face. “Fine,” she huffs, then looks away from him, down at her bare feet. “The only way to break the curse is for someone else to make a public declaration of true love to me.”

Ben waits a beat, expecting there to be more. When Rey remains silent, he huffs back at her. “I don’t understand why you’ve identified this as a problem.”

Her head snaps up to look at him. “You’re – Ben, you’re not taking this seriously.”

“To the contrary, I’m taking this very seriously. If the proper way to free you from this curse is to declare love for you, I’m prepared.”

She frowns at him. “It has to be _genuine,_ Benjamin.”

Despite her exasperated tone, her use of his full name pleases him. He’s never liked the name before, had insisted on being called Ben from a young age, but – when she says it, it’s different. He can’t explain it, but then again, he can’t really explain his connection with Rey, either.

“Whatever makes you think it won’t be?”

“Because – because this ridiculous! We’ve only known each other for a few days, this is only the third conversation we’ve ever had – there’s no possible way you could love me.”

He studies Rey’s face for a moment. She looks – she looks desperate, as if convincing him he’s wrong is incredibly important to her. Yet, beneath that, he can sense her hope. She’s also desperately full of hope – desperate to be convinced that _she_ is wrong. He doesn’t know why he’s able to read her so easily, he just – can.

“I don’t believe in fate, not really.” He reaches for her again, and this time she doesn’t flinch, but allows him to encase her hand in his. “I’ve never put much stock in soulmates. But – there’s something between us. My parents were friends with your father. Since I first heard the story of your disappearance, scarcely a week has gone by where I haven’t thought of you at least once. My parents have been pressuring me to marry, and I’ve been fighting them, because I want to marry for love, not for the sake of a political alliance. I came out here to the forest the other day to get away from them, and that’s when I met you. You, who just had decided to enjoy a walk in exactly the same place as me.

“I don’t know what that means to you, but to me it means, I’m ready to declare love for you, whether it’s here in private, or in front of the entire world. To me this doesn’t feel sudden, it feels like it’s been a lifetime in the making.”

“Ben, I…” Rey is staring at him with big, wide eyes. Her hand trembles inside his – she’s shaking with fear.

“If you don’t feel the same way, will that negate the effect of my declaration?” Ben asks, wanting to give her some more time to calm herself before she answers him – and, admittedly, he’s curious for personal reasons.

“I don’t…I don’t know. But that won’t really matter, because…” Rey licks her lips, making it obvious what she’s about to do. She slips her hand out of his and stands up on her tiptoes, reaching for him.

Ben eagerly gathers her into his arms before pressing their lips together. The kiss is chaste, just the brush of closed mouths together, but to him, it’s perfect. He keeps one hand cradling the back of her neck, the other clutching her waist. He doesn’t ever want to let her go, he decides in that moment.

Unfortunately, he does have to do so eventually. When they break apart, Rey is smiling brightly.

“There’s something Palpatine used to tell me…he’s been attempting for years to convince me to join him in the dark arts. I’ve always refused, no matter what he did to persuade me. Sometimes he would argue with me, insisting that my home in Jakku was in the past. ‘The belonging you seek is not behind you, it is ahead’ – that’s what he used to say. I’m beginning to think he was right.”

Ben can feel himself beaming back. He draws her into another kiss, a much more passionate one this time. The two of them become so engrossed in one another that it takes the combined efforts of Finn, Poe, and Rose to gain their attention.

“We had better begin our way back,” says Finn, sounding reluctant himself. If Ben isn’t imagining it, Finn is standing a bit closer to both Poe and Rose than strictly necessary. “Before Palpatine discovers us missing.”

Ben frowns, tightening his grip on Rey’s waist. “Will it be safe for you? I don’t want you to be in danger.”

She smiles up at him. “I’ll be fine. And I’ve got Finn.”

Ben isn’t mollified, but rather than argue, he raises another topic. “There’s a ball at my palace tomorrow night. You need to attend. It’ll be the perfect opportunity for me to announce my love for you before every nearby kingdom.”

Rey’s smile goes soft again, special, like it’s just for him. “I’ll be there.”

He’s reluctant to leave her now, but Finn’s visibly antsy, and he doesn’t want to be the cause for getting him and, more importantly Rey, into any trouble with Palpatine (gods, and does he want to strangle that man, but there’s plenty of time for that later, he tells himself). He kisses Rey goodbye, forcing himself to be brief and not to linger.

“Tomorrow night,” he whispers against her lips before forcing himself to pull away.

“Tomorrow night,” she repeats, not looking away from him.

The palpable tension between them is broken by Poe asking, “Finn, you’re going to come with her to the ball, right?”


	3. Chapter 3

Rey feels like she’s floating on air as she and Finn return to Palpatine’s lake. When she’d first encountered Ben in the clearing a couple of days ago, she’d never imagined that Ben would turn out to be everything she’d been ever been looking for. He was as close to perfect as it was possible to be – handsome, charming, witty – and he knew how to react when she argued with him, knew how to push her buttons in a way that energized her in the best way possible. Despite barely knowing one another, they already had established a wonderful synergy. The fact that Ben was capable of breaking her curse was simply an added bonus, if you asked her.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in such a good mood,” Finn remarks as they approach the small house on the opposite side of the lake.

“That’s because I never have been. Ben is incredible, he’s –” She falls abruptly silent as the sound of footsteps on the stairs reach her ears.

“Is he back?!” Finn hisses under his breath. “He told us he wouldn’t return from his travels until midnight!”

“He lied,” Rey breathes, nearly frozen with fear. How could she have been so gullible, so naïve! Palpatine had never minded her leaving the lake before, as he’d known that the curse would force her to return every night, but she’d still always made every attempt to be there waiting for him when he returned from his travels. When he’d left for such travels yesterday, and informed her and Finn that he wouldn’t return until midnight the next day, she hadn’t considered why he was bothering to tell her, hadn’t felt any cause to regard this suspiciously, but now – now the weight of sudden, horrible realization was falling upon her. Somehow, he knew. He _knew._

“My children,” Palpatine says as he appears at the bottom of the stairs. He stands in the doorway to the house, leering at them in a way that makes Rey’s skin crawl. She can feel cold sweat beading on the back of her neck.

“Aurélie, my darling. I’m so glad to see you. When you left earlier this evening, I was a bit worried that Prince Benjamin would steal you away from me forever.”

Rey struggles to speak through her suddenly dry throat. “I, I don’t know what you mean, milord. Ben is just…he’s nothing. Irrelevant. I met him while I was out for a walk, that’s all.” Merely saying the words pain her, but she can’t let Palpatine know how much Ben truly means to her. She has do whatever she can to keep him safe, even if it means lying through her teeth and denying everything she feels.

“Come now,” Palpatine practically purrs. “You know that I have eyes everywhere, my darling. I saw you kissing him. I heard him invite you to his engagement ball tomorrow night. And you know what? I won’t even forbid you from attending.”

“You won’t?” Rey has no idea what Palpatine is planning now. Her head is spinning trying to keep up with him.

“I don’t need to. There’s no moon tomorrow night, darling. No moon means no transformation.”

Rey goes rigid. She feels Finn wrap his arm around her shoulders, hears Palpatine cackling as he heads back up the stairs, but it’s as if everything is happening in a fog. She can barely process anything, is still hopelessly stuck on Palpatine’s last words to her. _No moon. No transformation._

Ben is going to be waiting for her at the ball tomorrow night, and she won’t be able to attend, not unless she flies there in her swan form. Can the curse still be broken if Ben declares love for a swan nobody recognizes? Somehow, she doubts it.

She sinks slowly to the ground then, all hope lost.

“I have to say, I’m surprised by your sudden change in heart, kid,” Han remarks as he helps Ben with his bowtie. The engagement ball is due to start in just a few minutes and Ben is so excited he can barely stand it, hence why he’d required Han’s assistance with the bowtie. “You fought back every time your mom raised the topic of a ball in the past, and now you’re suddenly all for it.”

“I didn’t really have a change of heart. I just met someone and a ball seemed like the perfect opportunity to introduce her to you and Mother.”

“You met someone in the forest?” Han asks, stepping back. “Is that why you’ve been flying out there so often lately?”

“You noticed that, huh?”

“Hard not to. I’m just wondering who you could have possibly met in the middle of a forest.”

“I think you’ll recognize her once you see her,” Ben tells his father.

“Oh, so it’s someone I know? This just grows more and more intriguing by the minute…”

An hour later, Ben feels like he’s slowly but surely going out of his mind. He’s had what feels like an absolute parade of princesses displayed before him, and although each of them had been very pretty and sophisticated, none of that really matters to him. He just wants Rey, who isn’t here yet. His slowly surmounting panic regarding her whereabouts is making it nearly impossible for him to remain calm and not lose his cool in front of the guests.

He’s just decided to seek out Rose and Poe so they can fly to the forest to look for Rey and, at the very least, make sure she’s all right (what if something had happened to her? He wouldn’t ever be able to forgive himself if she’d gotten in trouble with Palpatine because of him), when he becomes aware of a commotion at the door to the ballroom. He heads in that direction, wondering if maybe his mother has planned some sort of performance (and hoping desperately that he’s wrong – he’s had enough of the first performance of princesses on parade).

When he joins the rest of the guests at the door, however, he can see immediately that’s not the case. What’s been causing the commotion is Rey herself.

She looks stunning – her hair tumbles down her shoulders in graceful curls, and she’s wearing a breathtaking red dress, with a long train that flows behind her and only covers one shoulder, leaving the other bare. Ben briefly wonders where she could have found such a gown, but that thought quickly leaves his mind in favor of focusing on how lovely she looks. He wants to kiss her so badly, and not just on her mouth, but also on the smooth curve of her bare shoulder, on her beautiful throat, the freckles on the bridge of her nose –

Ben ignores the whispers fluttering through the crowd and holds out his hand for Rey to take. “I’m so glad you’re here. I was starting to worry.”

“No need,” Rey tells him. “Everything’s perfect.”

“Yes, you are,” he replies, dragging his gaze slowly up and down her entire body.

She grins at him. “Will the good prince ask me to dance, I wonder?”

Ben gives himself a mental shake. “Of course. Please.” He squeezes her hand inside his and then leads her to the empty dance floor. The rest of the guests are still crowded behind him, staring at Rey as if they can’t believe what they’re seeing. He supposes most of them recognize her as the missing princess Aurélie, but truth be told, he doesn’t care about anything or anyone right now except the woman in his arms. Ben gives the musicians a pointed nod and after a moment of fumbling, they begin to fill the room with a lovely melody. Ben sweeps Rey around the dance floor, keeping a tight grip on her waist, his gaze remaining steadfastly locked with hers.

“I can’t believe this is real. It seems too perfect,” he confesses.

“It does, doesn’t it?” she agrees. For a moment he frowns, wondering why the remark rubs him the wrong way, but a moment later he forgets it, losing himself once again in dancing with Rey.


	4. Chapter 4

“Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?” Finn asks, sighing as he looks at the swan that is Rey.

Rey gives a dejected shake of her head.

“I could – I could go to the castle,” Finn suggests, clearly thinking out loud. “Palpatine would never suspect me of doing something so drastic, he wouldn’t be expecting it, and I could talk to Be –”

Rey very quickly and adamantly shakes her head. She can’t speak, but the message (she hopes) is clear: she doesn’t want Finn putting herself into danger on her behalf.

“There has to be something we can do,” Finn insists, giving her a desperate look. Rey bows her head for a moment as she reaches a decision. Then she lightly flaps her wings so she can hop onto Finn’s leg. She looks at up at him, knowing the determination will shine clearly in her eyes.

“Rey, no,” Finn protests immediately, just as she’d known he would. “It’s too dangerous – chances are you won’t even able to make it into the castle, and even if you can, what if –”

Rey nudges her head gently against Finn’s arm to get his attention. He breaks off abruptly and looks down at her. After a moment of intense eye contact, Finn sighs and relents. “I suppose I can’t really stop you, short of grabbing you and holding you to the ground. Which I won’t do, of course.” He sighs again and then presses a soft kiss to the top of Rey’s head. “Just be careful, please.”

Rey nods her head in acknowledgement and then, without further ado, takes flight, As she soars into the sky, she wonders if perhaps Palpatine is watching the skies, having expected this of her, but nothing prevents her flight, and soon she reaches a comfortable rhythm. Her thoughts are as tumultuous as a storm however – what will she do once she reaches the castle? Will she manage to find a way inside? And what will she do then – fly straight into the ballroom and up to Ben? Maybe, if that’s what it takes…

She reaches the castle sooner than expected, having been too lost in her own thoughts to realize how much time has passed. She’s also pleasantly surprised that she’d remembered the way to the castle – she’d never bee there in person, but her adoptive father had shown it to her on the holomaps more than once, and her sense of direction is admittedly much better as a swan.

She spends quite some time flying around the exterior of the castle, attempting to find a way in, without success. She sinks lower in the sky, and finally discovers a window on one of the lower floors that has been tilted open. She slips inside, her heart beginning to pound in her chest, and begins flying forward, having no idea where she’s headed, where the ballroom is, or what will await her there, but feeling confident that somehow, it will all turn out all right.

“Are you all right? You seem distracted,” Rey remarks.

“I’m fine,” Ben responds. “I guess I’m still recovering from my shock that you managed to make it here. And at how incredible you look.”

Rey smirks, but – there’s something off about it. Her smile doesn’t reach her eyes. Maybe it’s just nerves? She’d run away from her captor, most likely stolen the dress she’s wearing, and is now in the presence of multiple people, after half a lifetime of near solitude. Yes, that must be it, he thinks, relaxing. It’s nothing but nerves. And as soon as he makes the vow, everything will be perfect.

As if reading his thoughts, the door to the ballroom suddenly slams open. Ben looks up, startled, as does everyone else in the room.

A man Ben doesn’t recognize is standing in the doorway. He’s wearing long black robes and a smirk on his face. Ben may not know who the man is, but that smirk sends a shiver down his spine. Somehow, he knows that this man is bad news.

“Palpatine!” he hears Leia hiss, and Ben’s stomach drops. He instantly reaches out and, without looking, sweeps Rey behind him.

“That won’t help at all,” Palpatine tells him, even though he’s still standing far enough away that he shouldn’t have been able to see that. Ben’s spine stiffens.

“You’re underestimating me,” he tells Palpatine, his voice ringing loud and clear despite the fear coating his throat like slime.

“Oh?” Palpatine asks, sounding nothing if not amused.

“I know how to break your curse. And I’ll do it now. Right here, before everyone from Alderaan, Jakku, and every nearby kingdom, I declare my undying and everlasting love for Aurélie Kenobi, the long lost princess of Alderaan, daughter of King Benjamin Kenobi of Jakku. I devote my life and my heart to her, now and forever.”

He doesn’t know exactly what he expects to happen – maybe some outward sign of the curse being broken, for Palpatine to shriek in rage at his plan being foiled, but instead Palpatine begins to laugh. Ben can feel how the room is frozen around him, how every person stands stunned in fear, and a slick, oily sense of foreboding washes over him. Something is wrong, he can sense it.

“That was very sweet,” Palpatine says, beginning to walk toward him. “Very heartfelt. Unfortunately, you made the vow to wrong girl.”

“What are you talking about?!” Ben spits out, his fear quickly becoming replaced by rage. How dare this man walk around like this room belongs to him, how dare he display no sense of shame after he’s ruined so many lives – Rey’s, Finn’s, King Kenobi’s –

“Why don’t you see for yourself,” Palpatine suggests, his voice so cheery it’s like he’s simply suggested a walk in the park.

Ben turns toward Rey only to find her crumpled on the ground. He falls to his knees beside her, his heart nearly erupting out of his chest, but when he touches her arm, she looks up at him, her eyes flashing red and what he can only describe as an evil smile marring her normally perfect mouth. He lets go of her in shock, some instinct telling him that this isn’t Rey. Not his Rey.

“What did you do!” he snarls, leaping to his feet. Palpatine waves a hand and Ben crashes backwards to the floor. He hears Leia and Han roar in rage and begin charging toward him, only to fall to the floor as well.

“What did you _do_!” Ben repeats, struggling to clamber to his feet but finding it strangely impossible.

“Nothing, really. I simply fashioned a fake version of Aurélie to fool you long enough to make the declaration of true love. And you fell for it, just as I knew you would.” Palpatine gestures to the wall behind Ben; Ben spins around on his knees and looks up at one of the windows, only to see a swan rapidly flying away from the castle.

His heart sinks. “ _Rey,_ ” he chokes out, leaping to his feet; this time Palpatine allows it. He runs toward the wall in question, without a plan really in mind; he doesn’t know what he intends to do – clamber up the wall to jump out the window after Rey? He doesn’t know that; all he knows is, he has to get to her, has to help her somehow –

As if reading his mind, Palpatine suddenly chuckles behind him. It’s a cold, emotionless sound that makes everyone in the room shudder.

“You can certainly try, little prince. Go after her, be with her in her last moments. She’s not far from death, but I’m sure she’ll appreciate the gesture.”

Ben doesn’t even bother sparing Palpatine a glance. He spins on his heel and runs out of the ballroom, ignoring the calls of Luke and his parents from behind him. Almost noiselessly, Poe and Rose fall into step behind him.

“You don’t have to come with this time,” Ben tells them, sparing the briefest of glances over his shoulder.

“Please,” Rose snorts. “You were about to charge out of here without weapons.”

“We found a good one for you, buddy,” Poe says reassuringly. “If that Palpatine shows up at the lake and tries to stop you from saving Rey, you’ll be covered.”

“Thank you, both of you. I really appreciate it. But right now weapons are the last thing on my mind. All I care about at the moment is helping Rey.”

Rey’s vision is blurred and the beat of her wings feels weak. She can barely summon the energy to draw her next breath, but somehow she manages it. All she knows is that she has to make it back to the lake. There’s an instinct reverberating voicelessly in mind, urging her onward, onward, back to the lake. _Five more minutes_ , her instincts tell her. _Five more minutes, you can do this…_

Her eyes zero in on the lake as it comes into view. Vaguely, she’s aware of Finn rushing toward her, but all of her attention is focused on landing on the surface of the water. She crashes on the surface less than gracefully, spraying water droplets everywhere. Before she can regain her balance, however, the water beneath her begins to swirl, frothing underneath her weakened body just as it always does before her transformation back into human.

Jets of water shoot off the surface of the lake and into the air, catching her now unconscious human body and depositing it unceremoniously on the grassy bank.

Ben arrives just in time to see Rey wash up on the shore of the lake. He charges toward her, barely noticing Finn kneeling on Rey’s other side.

“What happened?” Finn asks urgently.

“Palpatine tricked me – he used magic to fashion a fake Rey and I made the vow to her.” Ben lightly grips Rey’s wrist to feel for a pulse and releases a massive sigh of relief when he feels one – faint, but steady.

“What can we do?” Finn asks, his voice shaking with every word.

Ben doesn’t answer him, gathering Rey into his arms instead and pressing his forehead to hers. “Rey. I made the vow to you. It was always meant for you. I love _you_ and no one else. Do you hear me? _You_.”

There’s no response, but Ben isn’t ready to give up. “I love you, Rey. I love you more than life itself.”

“Do you truly mean that, little prince?” a familiar voice asks from behind him.

Ben spins around on his knees to see Palpatine standing a few feet away, smiling in that eerily cheerful way again.

“I meant everything I’ve ever said about my love for Rey,” he says lowly, balling his hands into fists against the urge to launch himself at Palpatine in a fit of unbridled fury.

“Would you be willing to risk your life to prove that?”

Ben rises to his feet. “I’d be willing to die for it.”

Palpatine’s eyes light up with sheer delight. “I was hoping you would say that. Then, by all means.”

Before Ben can even begin to prepare himself, Palpatine takes a step backward and spreads his arms. Within the blink of an eye, his human shape dissolves, quickly becoming replaced with –

“A dragon,” Ben mumbles under his breath. “Right. A dragon.”

“Ben!” he hears called from behind him. “Weapons check!”

He turns just in time to catch the weapon Poe has tossed to him. It’s a lightsaber, a classic style of weaponry that has been used by the Alderaans in past battles. He’s never partaken in a battle himself, but Luke had trained him to use such a weapon during his lessons on military strategy. If it will work against a dragon, however…well, he supposes he’ll learn soon enough.

He ignites the lightsaber and faces the dragon. He can’t be sure, but he gets the distinct impression that the beast is smirking at him. Ben doesn’t charge forward, but circles slowly around the animal, trying to determine the best point of attack. The dragon watches him, apparently amused at his attempts. Just when Ben is starting to inch forward, the dragon flaps it wings and rises into the air, launching high above Ben’s head.

Ben curses under his breath. The lightsaber won’t help him fly. He backs up a few steps and raises the lightsaber again, waiting for the beast to come back down to earth.

Over the next several minutes, the dragon leads Ben through a game where it feigns returning to the ground, only to rise back up into the air and out of the reach at the last moment. Ben knows why the beast is doing this – its intent is to wear Ben out, to exhaust him before the battle truly begins. And the worst part is, it’s working. Ben doesn’t know how to gain the upper hand – if he relaxes his posture or does anything to decrease his momentum, the dragon will swoop in and kill him before he can even move.

He has to think fast. He can’t leave here without killing Palpatine. He’s a monster who’s traumatized multiple people. Not to mention, he’s desperately hoping that killing the dragon will end the curse on Rey and restore her to health. His adrenaline-drenched brain creates a plan, a rather foolish plan, but it’s all he has. And everything he has will die fighting for Rey.

He looks up at the dragon, who is circling the air several feet above him. Once he’s fairly sure the dragon is watching him, he pretends to stumble over a root on the ground. As he begins to lose his footing, he sees the dragon start to swoop down, and he gets the feeling the beast isn’t feigning this time. He completes his fake stumble, allowing himself to collapse to the ground to make his accident look all the more real.

The dragon is close to him now. He rolls over, playacting staggering to his feet. The beast plunges even closer and –

He lunges up, driving his lightsaber into the dragon’s belly with all the force he can muster.

The dragon shudders to a standstill. It looks down at Ben, and their eyes lock – there’s a look of absolute shock on the creature’s face, as if genuinely cannot process what has just occurred. Slowly that look becomes replaced with pain. The beast crumbles to the ground, Ben scrambling out of the way just in time to avoid being crushed by its behemoth mass.

“Is it dead?” Rose calls out, her voice small and nervous.

The beast is still. It isn’t moving, shows no signs of breathing. Ben studies it for a few moments longer, just to be sure, before he looks up and nods at his friends – who have joined Finn in huddling around Rey. He doesn’t miss the fact that all three are clutching each other’s hands rather tightly.

But he shoves that aside for now, once again laser focused on Rey. He runs toward her and drops to his knees beside her body, the other three quickly moving back to give him room.

“Rey,” Ben whispers, slipping a hand underneath Rey’s delicate neck and lifting her body closer to his. “Rey, please come back to me. Palpatine is dead. You’re free now. Please, come back to me…I love you…” He presses his forehead against hers, frustrated tears slipping down his cheeks. “Please, Rey…”

For several moments nothing happens, but Ben refuses to give up hope. He just continues clutching Rey against his body, whispering over and over against her skin that he loves her, pleading with her to return to him.

Slowly, he feels Rey begin to stir slightly against him. He pulls back so he can look at her. She’s blinking up at him, visibly confused. “Benjamin?”

Relief washes over him at the sound of her voice, the sound of her voice using his full name. A shaky smile breaks out across his face. “Hi, sweetheart. Welcome back.”

“I…” Rey glances across the arm wrapped around her shoulders and glimpses the beast. “Is that – Palpatine?”

“Yes. He’s dead now.”

“I think…I think his death has caused the curse to break. I feel – different. Lighter and more free. It’s hard to explain.”

“I made the vow for you, I promise,” he whispers to her, brushing the gentlest of kisses across her brow. Her eyelids flutter shut so he kisses them too.

“I know,” she whispers back. “And I felt you make it again and again just now. It was like I was…unconscious, not quite awake, but I could feel your voice calling to me, leading me out of the darkness and back into the light.”

Ben swallowed hard around the lump in his throat. “Sweetheart, I have something very important to ask you now.”

“Anything.”

“Will you marry me?”

She smiles. “I thought you’d never ask.”

When he was thirteen years old, young Prince Benjamin heard the story of Princess Aurélie Kenobi’s disappearance. He went to bed that night praying for her safe return home.

Ten years later, he found the missing princess, fell in love with her, and brought her back home. Her reunion with her father brought tears to his eyes. His wedding and wedding night with her made his heart sing.

The first time they spent a night together, he awoke in the early hours of dawn to find her already wide awake, staring with unnerving concentration at her hands, as if expecting them to disappear.

“Sweetheart?” he whispers, not wanting to startle her.

“I’m not turning into a swan,” she says. “I’m still human.”

“You are.”

“And I’m your wife.” She lowers her hands and snuggles closer to him. “You know, this is the first time in ten years that I’ve enjoyed the morning.”

“And here’s to many years to come,” he murmurs, tipping her face up for a kiss which she happily reciprocates.


End file.
